NRCC Launches Anti-Hochul (And Obama) Billboard Campaign

GOP leaders from Erie and Niagara counties unveiled a billboard campaign by the NRCC that aims to cast Rep. Kathy Hochul as a rubber stamp for the Obama administration.

The billboard, which appears below, is actually mobile. It will be parked outside Hochul’s office in Williamsville today and then move to her Greece district office tomorrow. It will be accompanied by targeted calls and online-ads highlighting Hochul’s vote against repal of the Affordable Care Act.

“It didn’t take Democrat Kathy Hochul long to become part of the problem in Washington,” said NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay. “Just last week she doubled down on President Obama’s government takeover of healthcare that has increased costs on New York families and cut Medicare for seniors.”

“This is only the beginning of our campaign to hold Kathy Hochul accountable and ensure that New Yorkers are aware of the consequences of another Hochul-Obama term in office.”

Hochul is spending a lot of time trying to assert her independence from the Obama administration, highlighting, for example, her “yes” vote on holding US AG Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his refusal to turn over documents related to the Fast and Furious debacle.

Hochul’s surprise victory in a long-held GOP seat (currently NY-26, but redrawn to be even more Republican as NY-27) really rankled Western New York and national Republicans alike. They are very much interested in taking back this seat, but the national Democrats are equally interested in protecting Hochul.

Hotline listed the NY-27 race among the top 75 most competitive House contests this morning, but ranked it No. 19 – the second highest New York race on the list. The first, ranked No. 6, is the NY-24 re-match between Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle and the Democrat she ousted in 2010, Dan Maffei. (Buerkle’s district has also been redrawn to be less advantageous for her, although she fared better in the court’s plan than she would have under the map drawn by the Senate GOP).

Here’s what Hotline has to say about NY-27:

“This is the most Republican district in the state of New York, but Hochul’s political talent keeps it in play. Republican nominee Chris Collins has a few liabilities in his business background, too. Still, fewer and fewer members from either party are thriving in districts that swing so far the other way on the presidential level.”